In defense of my hometown, New York City is the safest big city in the U.S. So as mentioned earlier, don't necessarily believe everything you see in the movies and television. Of course, that also doesn't mean that you should trust everyone or leave your doors and windows unlocked here either. One should always have a care in this day and age no matter how safe things may appear to be where you are. After all, anything can happen anywhere, even in a country as safe as Japan.

First, it is very true that Japan is ridiculously safe. When it comes to murder rate for example, New York, now one of (arguably is) the safest major city in the US. In 2008, the murder count was a little over 500. Very good really. Japan as a nation had around twice to 2.5x that number total between all its cities. That is just a number reference, not meant at all as a diss on NY. Good US city vs Japan.

As to the police carrying guns thing. Night shifts are more likely to carry them, but generally unneeded. One comment mentioned the question what happens if someone else pulls a gun. The answer to that is that Japanese gun control is ridiculous. Only the Yakuza have guns, and that brings us to the last piece. How much can the statistics be trusted?

Two factors lead to a little of a 'misnomer' with Japanese statistics. One is that some believe that the Japanese police in some cities fail to report murders, attributing deaths to natural causes. A few doctors have been reported as coming out claiming to have been pressured into not doing an autopsy. I cannot affirm or deny whether this is true, i just present it as a note for consideration. The other is that the Yakuza tend to always keep things in house. If someone is killed in the yakuza, they tend to be sure to make sure no on the outside ever finds out. Hits are handled in places that would disrupt the daily life of normal Japanese, and quietly. On the other hand, the Japanese have been criticized for not taking more direct action against the Yakuza which has been identified as a major sex (slave) trafficking as well as drug trafficking group in Asia.

I currently live in Japan. It is amazingly safe. I (like many) don't lock my doors, walk around in downtown areas late at night, don't worry about what street I'm on. But, there is always a dark side to every country. Japan has just done better than most (in my opinion) of keeping that dark side from affecting the main populace.

Well, from what I know, Japan has the 2nd lowest Murder rate in the world, 2nd to Singapore. (So in other words, A Country like Vatican City that's only a few blocks long has more murders then the entire country of Japan. Amazing.) And from the statistics, for every 1000 people in Japan, 0.5 would be murderers, while in America 7.5 would be murderers. And in terms of thivery, For every 1000 people, I think 7 (I forgot, need to look it up again) would be thieves, while in America, for every 1000 people, 233 would be thieves. So yeah, Japan is a preety safe place from what it looks. But, you should still have common sense. If that person looks creepy, stay away, don't look, and move quickly. And also one more thing, They say in countries where the population has a lot of old people, in this case, In Japan over 22% of the people are 65 years of age or older, tend to have less violence. While in Countries like Brazil, where most of the population is under 18, tend to have more violence. So if you wanna move there, it's your decision.

Overall Japan is pretty safe compared to other countries in the world. And when talking about cities, there are dangerous parts of cities throughout the world. New York is safe but there are certain places where I would be more careful walking at night than others. The same can be said for Tokyo or Osaka or Rome or Rio or Paris or wherever. I'm sure there is less crime in the smaller cities of Japan and the rural areas but there isn't as much to do compared to bigger cities like Tokyo. You take the good with the bad and overall, I think most areas of Japan have a lot more good things as opposed to bad things like crime.

After living in Tokyo and spending time in infamous places like roppongi the fact that this thread even exists makes me literally laugh out loud. Compared to back home in the US it's just....

I mean sure maybe there are random crimes like telephone scam artists, but the only people I know of foolish enough to fall for any such ploys are unfortunately the very elderly who can no longer distinguish the voice of their grandson wanting a bank transfer in an emergency from that of a random lowlife.

Lol, the only 'danger' common enough to take note of is if you're a girl at the peak of rush hour on the train in tokyo. Since your body will be pressed up against various salary men from every angle, (to the point where breathing may become difficult) on very rare occasion there may be a salary man daring enough to try to briefly grab a vulnerable butt (since they would likely be able to get away with it anonymously, in such a crowded situation). But even then if you have a particular fear of that you can just ride in the women-only cars >.>

To be honest, Japanese society is safety-concious to the point of ridiculousness. Have you ever read Japanese warning instructions for a device or an appliance you bought? That show 'x'd out pictures of people hitting themselves repeatedly on the head with said device warning you not to do that? Well, if you're in Japan warnings like that are everywhere >.> Whether it's in the form of orientation, signs, or safety rails, they're there >.>

Yes, Japan has basically the lowest murder rate in the world, and those rare murders that do happen are usually in-family or to people with gang affiliations.

i lived in japan for 5 years. generally it is safe there. police men dont have guns and only have a police baton with them when they`re patrolling. so I guess thats a proof to the level of safety in japan

In my last trip to Japan, I left my camera in the basket of my bike. I only realized it after about half an hour of strolling around. I rushed back to where I chained my bike and surprise! My camera is still there. I guess I didn't have to worry about possessions because the Japanese are generally honest people.

As far as natural disasters are concerned, no place is safe. A typhoon can hit Okinawa and all four main islands. An earthquake can also hit anywhere in Japan. Major snowstorms can also hit the Tohoku region of Honshu island and Hokkaido (the northern most island). Japan is prepared for natural disasters and make buildings as safe as possible. Weather forcasters also give weather updates frequently so just watch NHK when expecting a typhoon so you know how and when to plan.

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